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Category: Motivational

It is a known fact that every small business should have a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software in place. Why? Customers are your main reason for doing business. You create a product/service for them, they buy from you, and you use the revenue to reinvest into your business to sell more. It’s a simple sales cycle. But it’s a cycle that needs to be taken care of and groomed.

The challenges arrise when you have to start managing your customers – even if only a handful. If they aren’t satisfied, they won’t buy. In addition, a good number of them will also spread negative reviews about you to other potential customers. Seeing as 80% of your future revenue will come from existing customers (Gartner Group), paying special attention to Customer Satisfaction and, thereby, retention is crucial to not only staying in business, but also growing. According to Bain and Co., a 5% increase in customer retention can increase a company’s profitability by an average of 75%. So what’s the conclusion? Winning customer loyalty could mean the difference in being successful or not! Continue reading Mobile CRM is the New Black!

Nowadays, it is very common to find yourself working with people from long distances. Everything is mobile. So, how do you maintain effective communication with people that you don’t work in the same office with or who are not physically present for extended periods of time?

There is no doubt about it. Working from long distance with your boss, partners, colleagues, and/or team is not easy. But it’s do-able. Here are some very simple tips and tools to help you make your long distance working relationships work…

1) Meet in person (at least once if possible)

Meeting someone in person is the best way to establish a connection and a level of trust, which of course must be nurtured over time. If that is not possible, then be sure that the first meeting(s) are done through a video conference. Seeing a person’s face and gestures is very important in understanding a person and their wants and needs. I will go into more detail about video conferencing later. Be sure to also video conference at least once a week, and if you are working with a team of people, video chat with at least one or two members if not as a whole group every week.

Time is money, as all business owners know as a rule-of-thumb. Time also has a direct impact on your reputation among your customers and, thereby, on your revenue. How so, you ask? Simple.

Customers expect a quick response, special attention and for you to have all the information on hand whenever they decide to call. Here are pointers on how to keep up with your customers and stay on top of your game.

One Place All the Time

Have all your notes in one place and, more importantly, accessible at all times. Yes, laptops can be taken with you, but it’s not convenient for accessing data quickly when on-the-go. Better to have it on your mobile. Also, make sure it is neatly organized and convenient. You need to be able to find the information you need within seconds.

You are an entrepreneur with an amazing business idea. The first step is research and laying out a business plan to develop your idea further and, basically, get the ball rolling. Now what? Do you just dig in and start developing? Most often that is what happens. You become extremely busy designing and developing and building from the administrative end. So, what happens when your “shop doors” open? Do customers immediately start buying?

Doing it ‘Old School’

There is the old business school concept that first you will get the innovators and early adapters coming in to buy. Then the early majority will come, followed by the late majority. Let’s focus on your innovators and early adopters. They will be the driving force behind bringing the latter groups on board. Do they like the product/service you offer? Do they leave shortly afterward? Continue reading Listen to your Customers…or Perish!